3 Day Whirlwind "Natsukashi, ne?" Okinawa Trip.

Considering this week's jaunt to Okinawa resulted in almost 180 pics or so, this blog post will just be a "greatest hits" of sorts. For all the pics, now with my ever-so-witty and delightful captions, go to the Picasa pics at the link below. [That's the smaller pic with Sandy's "happy to be in Okinawa" face.]

2007-08-18

Sandy lays flowers at the Himeyuri memorial. Via Wikipedia - "The Himeyuri Students... was a group of coed students formed into a nursing unit for the Imperial Japanese Army during the Battle of Okinawa. 222 students and 18 teachers of the former Okinawa Daiichi Women's High School and Okinawa Shihan Women's School were mobilized by the Japanese army on March 23, 1945. But, on June 18, suddenly they were dissolved. And in the early morning of June 19, most of them were killed during an attack by US forces on the Ibara third surgery shelter. The survivors threw themselves from the nearby precipitous cliff because of fears of systematic rape by US soldiers - propaganda spread by the military government of Imperial Japan. To mourn for them, the Himeyuri Monument was built on April 7, 1946."



At Okinawa World, for limestone cave hiking and Ryukyan/Okinawan history/culture. [And dress up, apparently.]







But the most important thing we learned? Deeez Nuuuts. Profound.


The Okinawan Prefectural Peace Museum.



Camp Kinzer, Gate 4, Maki Point, near the old Snider stomping grounds.

And then the old Snider compound.





Old style Ryukyan/Okinawan housing at the historical village in Ocean Expo Park.


This next pic of Sandy cracks me up, and I don't know why.




The dolphin show at the Ocean Expo was pretty cool, I must admit.



Sandy defeats the shark with cuteness.







Okinawan Rap, yeah, that's just for you Jr.


Sandy's new favorite tshirt.


Dr Pepper cans are certainly superior in Okinawa.


It really was "All American."


Sandy at Manzamo.



Eating Okinawan Soba [and crossing something else off Sandy's "to do" list.] Tasty.





Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters. Sobering.





At Shurijo Castle Park - via Wikipedia - "Shuri Castle (Okinawan: sui ugusiku, Japanese: 首里城 Shurijō) is a gusuku (Ryūkyūan castle) in Shuri, Okinawa. It was the palace of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed, with only a few walls standing as high as a few decimeters. In 1992, it was reconstructed on the original site based on photographs, historical records, and memory."




Blue Seal Ice Cream? Checked off the the "to do" list, in all its icy and creamy goodness